Monday, November 29, 2010

For those of you rocking through your workouts and in your best shape yet then ignore this post but for everyone else who needs that spark...LISTEN UP!

Thanksgiving has come and gone and odds are as you look at yourself in the mirror you notice a couple extra pounds on that body of yours and realize your not liking it. Thanksgiving is not the easiest of holidays on the body......carbs and more carbs and deserts galore get stuffed into your face like a vacuum. The good news is you now have some time to prep yourself before the next set of holidays near. You have exactly four weeks until Christmas to ramp up your routine and eating plan to get yourself in the best holiday shape yet. Use this time constrain as your motivation and to help you keep focused. Remind yourself to go hardcore for 4 weeks and you can reap the rewards! The eventual goal is that once you get rolling for 4 weeks that it will be a whole hell of alot easier to start the New Years Resolutions than if you were starting from scratch.....think less pain and time.

Lets first focus on your eating for the next four weeks. The holidays are a time of special treats, cookies, pies and breads.........so make it special and don't eat them until Christmas or Christmas Eve days! For the time being focus on limiting carbs to the mornings and post workout only. Lean proteins are a must at every meal. If you can think of doing one thing during the next four weeks I would say try to make a small change each day and that is it! Don't try and change everything and do an overhaul just think of ONE SMALL CHANGE......you would be amazed what a difference that would make.

Now lets change the focus to the workouts. First, I want you to drop whatever program you are on and toss it! You heard me! Stop another day of whatever you were doing! I don't care how amazing it is or even if you have made insane gains with it......STOP IT! It was once said " that the best workout for you is the one you are not one." Now that you have done this go ahead and grab a scrap book or piece of paper. I want you to list exercises you don't like to do or ones you have not do in a long time. When your done, look at everything you have down on that paper and there you go.... before you is everything that will be included in your workout for the next 4 weeks. Below is an example:

If you wrote down the following-

THINGS I NEVER DO

Legs....like squats and deadlifts

Triceps

Anything cardio

Circuits

Pullups, inverted row

NEW WORKOUT

All circuits

Involve leg work 2-3x week

Start doing assistedpullups and inverted rows

Add interval training to your routines.......read my post from a couple of days ago

I want you to seriously give this a try and let me know your results. Go Dominate.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

1) Milk- Is a old school bodybuilding staple. You get a nice amount of calories and a great blend of both whey and casein proteins. Milk also contains calcium ( duh ) magnesium, potassium, Vitamin A and D. Whole milk provides the most calories although a higher fat content.

2) Potatoes-Both dense and filling. Filled with Vitamin C, B6, iron and potassium and some other nutrients.

Monday, November 22, 2010

I recently used this routine for my chest workout last week and let me tell you it hurt like hell! I have done my fair share of crazy hardcore chest routines but this has to rank top 2 if not number 1. This routine takes your chest through many different techniques. I highly advise you have a spotter for this routine.....as a matter of fact you must have a spotter for this routine end of story. It is very important you pick the proper weight for each set in order for this like any routine to be effective. You can make adjustments to the weight after each round if needed.

This routine is a tri-set in which you will not take a rest until finishing all 3 exercises

A1)Dumbbell chest press negatives-6 reps with a 8 second negative

** Count a slow 8 seconds and when you get to the bottom your spotter can help you push the weight back up. Remember when doing negatives you can generally handle more weight so make sure you pick something challenging.

A2) Dumbbell chest press-10 reps with a regular tempo

** I would recommend using anywhere from 20-30lbs less than you did on the negatives

A3) Dumbbell speed chest presses-10 reps with a 3 second negative on the way down and then exploding up as fast as possible.

**Speed is key here! Be Powerful and explosive! Use light weights....anywhere from 35-17.5lbs depending on your strength.

Rest 2-3 minutes and repeat this 2 more times. Your chest will feel ripped to shreds the next day trust me!

Friday, November 19, 2010

The Russians have been a known player in the world of strength and conditioning for a long time and this legendary routine is a classic. The goal of this routine is to break you out of a rut and increase your 1RM by 5%. within 6 weeks of training. Remember if you have any back issues a back squat program is not for you.

There are many different versions of the Russian squat routine but below is the routine which Charles Staley posted and it lasts 6 weeks and has you training 3 non-consecutive days a week.

** The % is based off your 1RM. So if your 1RM is 100 and it calls for 80% then of course you would be using 80lbs of weight for the reps.

Week 1-80% ( 6x2 ) 80% ( 6x3 ) 80% ( 6x2 )

* So Monday would be 6x2, Wednesdays workout would be 6x3 and Fridays would be 6x2

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Mike Boyle is a very very very smart individual...did I mention he is a very smart man in the world of strength and conditioning. The article below is authored by him and covers the subject of interval training. Read and enjoy!

I hear too often that working out is HARD. I want to get toned and lose weight but it is just sooosoo HARD....I mean I really want to but why does it have to be so HARD. Yes, working is HARD and yes it wont be easy but that's what makes it great! If it wasn't hard to drop weight, gain muscle, get stronger than everyone walking this earth would be. The fact is it will be HARD but that at the end of the day that's what makes it worth every ounce of blood, sweat and tears! At the end of your journey you can look yourself in the mirror and say yeah it was damn HARD.....but I did it and it was freaking great! Make it happen!

Friday, November 5, 2010

1.Get re-motivated everyday- Most of the time motivation doesn't last, it comes and goes and sometimes totally disappears. Motivation must be renewed every day if you want long term success! Get up and get yourself READY!

2. Have a vision or plan- The root word of motivation is " motiv." The definition of motive is " A reason to act." This is your vision. Your vision of what you want and what you want to get out of your workouts should be big enough to motivate you to act on!

3. Act on passion- So much of motivation comes from emotion. Use whatever emotions you need to draw from to get yourself motivated. It might be seeing someone close to you have health issues hence driving you to start to exercise or maybe being overweight all your life finally emotional drives you to become the " fit" guy.

4. Get results- If you work hard and get results it makes things waaaywaaay easier to stay focused and motivated. When you start having success at anything you will be encouraged to keep going no matter how hard the goal is.

5. Ride the momentum- You will always get to that point when you are hitting on all strides....you will be getting great workouts, eating amazing, and taking care of your body like never before. When this happens dont let up! Use the momentum and keep riding the wave!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

** This is a double drop set. So do set #1 for 10 reps. Immediately drop the weight by 10-15lbs and do another set to failure. Finally, end by dropping the weight again by 10-15lbs and doing reps to failure. This equals 1 set.

B)Lat Pulldown ( wide grip)- 5 sets of 10

Rest 1 minute between sets

** Pause at the bottom of the movement for 2 seconds on each rep.

C) Decline straight bar pull downs- 5 sets of 10

Rest 1 minute between sets

** Set up a cable pulley at just below hip height. Place a decline bench in front of the cable pulley so your head is closest to the bar. Keeping your arms extended and locked out, pull the bar towards the thighs. Focus on your lats and keep the arms locked and straight!

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About Me

I'm a personal trainer working in Chicago. I hold a Bachelor's degree in Kinesiology from University of Nevada-Las Vegas. I am a certified trainer through the American College of Sports Medicine and also hold a certification through Titleist Performance Institute as a certified golf fitness instructor. I have been in the training world for many years and have worked in high end spa clubs, private personal training studios as well as major chain gyms.